Study board attachment for arm chairs



July 29, 1958 J. H. KEEL 2,845,113

STUDY BOARD ATTACHMENT FOR ARM CHAIRS Filed March 6, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet l L4 lllllll' I 15 INVENTOR I 0/0/2266 15. ffEZZ ATTORNEY July 29, 1958 KEEL 2,845,113

STUDY BOARD ATTACHMENT FOR ARM CHAIRS Filed March 6, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR (70/7766 [i feel,

A ORNEY United States Patent STUDY BOARD ATTACHMENT FOR ARM CHAIRS James H. Keel, Lenoir, N. C.

Application March 6, 1956, Serial No. 569,764

3 Claims. (Cl. 155-123) This invention relates to chairs, and more particularly to a study board or desk attachment for arm chairs.

An object of the inventionis to provide a construction in. which the board or desk member is normally concealed within a hollow arm of a chair, and is removable upwardly therefrom through a slot formed in the top of the arm.

Another object is to devise means for so connecting the board or desk member to the chair arm that, when withdrawn from the slot, it may be swung in both vertical and horizontal planes, and may also slide forwardly and rearwardly on the arm, so that its position may be adjusted to suit any conditions.

A still further object of the invention is to so construct the board and its connecting means that, when withdrawn from the slot, it may be supported in operative position only on the one arm to which it is connected, or on both arms of the chair, as desired.

With the above and other objects in view, and to improve generally on the details of such devices, the invention consists in the construction and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a partial perspective view of a conventional arm chair showing the slot in the arm to receive my improved board.

Fig. 2 is a transverse section on an enlarged scale through such arm showing the board housed therein.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation on a further enlarged scale of the pivot pin and hinge which is attached to the lower end of the board.

Fig. 4 is a transverse section substantially on the line 44 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is an edge elevation of the pivot pin and binge, looking in a direction at right angles to Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of a conventional arm chair showing my improved board in broken lines concealed within the arm and in full lines lifted up out of the same.

Fig. 7 is a front elevation of the chair illustrated in Fig. 6 showing in broken lines the position of the board when swung down so as to be supported on both arms of the chair.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a conventional arm chair showing my improved board as it appears when supported on one arm only, and

Fig. 9 is a transverse section on a greatly enlarged scale showing the top portion of the arm illustrated in Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings in detail A designates the arm of a conventional upholstered arm chair B.

As shown in Fig. 2 this arm comprises front and back upright members connected by horizontal side bars 1, 2, 3, 4, etc. At its upper end the arm is provided with a relatively broad flat top 5, and over the frame thus formed is placed a covering of suitable upholstery material 7, thus forming within the arm an enclosed hollow space. Suitable padding 8 may be interposed between the "ice top 5 and the upholstery material 7 if desired, to give a rounded appearance.

One feature of my invention consists in forming through the top member 5 a longitudinally extending slot 6. As shown in Figs. 2 and 9 the upholstery material is preferably brought down into and through this slot, and secured at its edges to the underside of the top 5.

Constructed to pass freely through this slot 6 is my improved study board or desk member 10. This is in the nature of a flat board, or panel, made either of wood, metal or plastic, thick enough to have the necessary strength and rigidity. To the upper edge of this board is secured a trim strip 11, which may be suitably ornamented, and which has a width greater than the thickness of the board, so that this strip rests upon the upholstery material at either side of the slot 6 and thus normally supports the board in the position shown in Fig. 2. It will be seen that in this position the board is suspended from the strip 11 and hangs vertically within the hollow arm. It will also be observed that the upper end of the board extends up through the slot 6 so that it may be readily gripped by the hand of the user. The strip 11 provides a convenient grip element by means of which the board may be lifted out of the arm when desired.

At the lower end of the board is secured a hinge comprising the members 12 and 13, the pivot of the hinge preferably coinciding with the lower edge of the board as shown in Fig. 2.

Secured to the lower hinge member 13, as by welding, is a pivot pin 14, preferably of a diameter approximately equal to the thickness of the board 10 and normally lying in the plane of the board. Surrounding the lower end of the pin is a washer 15, held in position by a cotter pin 16.

While the pin is shown as a tubular section and as welded to the hinge member, it may of course be solid if desired and, if tubular, may be flattened at its upper end and secured to the hinge member by riveting, or any other suitable way.

It will be understood that my improved study board is normally stored or housed inside of the hollow arm as shown in Fig. 2. When it is desired to use the board the strip 11 is gripped and the board lifted up through the slot into the position shown in Figs. 6 and 7. As the lower end of the board clears the slot, the pin 14 enters the slot, and the washer 15 acts as a stop to limit the upward movement of the pin and to prevent it from being withdrawn through the slot. The board may then be swung down into horizontal position across the two arms of the chair as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 7.

Instead of supporting the board on both arms as shown in Fig. 7, the board may be swung around on the pivot pin 14 and supported on one arm only, as shown in Fig. 8. Furthermore, the board may be adjusted forwardly and rearwardly on the arm or arms by sliding the pin back and forth in the slot, so that the position of the board may be adjusted to meet any requirements.

As shown in Fig. 9, metal strips 9 are preferably secured to the underside of the top 5 adjacent the slot 6 to serve as runways with which the washer 15 engages as the pin moves back and forth in the slot, these metal strips protecting the upholstery fabric or the edges of the slot from wear.

It will thus be seen that I have provided an improved universal connection between the study board 10 and the arm of the chair, this connection being such as to permit four different movements of the study board. It may first be raised vertically, and when raised may be swung in a vertical plane as illustrated in Fig. 7, or may be swung in a horizontal plane to bring it to the position shown in Fig. 8, and may also be moved bodily forwardly and rearwardlly to vary the distance between the rear edge of the board and the back of the chair as desired.

What I claim is:

l. The combination with a hollow chair arm having a broad top, saidtop havinga longitudinally extending slot therethrough, of a movable board normally'housed in vertical position within said hollowiarm and of such size as to pass freely through said slotymeans at the upper end of said board for limiting its downward movement, and a vertically disposed pivot pin hingedly connected with the other end of said board and of a diameter'slightly smaller than the width of said slot, whereby when said board is lifted out of said slot, said pin enters the slot, and stop means at the lower end of said pin for preventing it from passing outthrough said' slot'and'for thus limiting the upward movement of said board.

2. The combination with a hollow chair arm having a broad top, said top having a longitudinally extending slot 'therethrough, of a movable board normally housed in vertical position within said hollow arm and of such size as to pass freely through said'slot, means for limiting the downward movement of said board, a vertically disposed pivot pin hingedly connected with the lower end of said board and of a diameter slightly smaller than the width of said slot, whereby when said board is lifted out of said slot, said pin enters the slot, and said board may be swung in a vertical plane about said hinge connection, and means for limiting the upward movement of said pin and board.

3. The combination with a hollow chair arm having a top, said top having a longitudinally extending slot therethrough, of a movable, one-piece board of such size as to pass freely through said slot and be housed within said hollow arm, a vertically disposed round pivot pin hingedly connected with the lower end of said board and constructed to loosely enter said slot when said board is lifted out, and means for preventing said pin from passing upwardly out through said slot, whereby said board, when withdrawn from said slot, may swing in a horizontal plane around the axis of said pin, and said board and pin may slide freely lengthwise of said arm and slot.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

